Not sure if this is the right place for this, but here goes... I recently bought a tractor, my first, along with implements - still adding, but I guess (hope) you always do! I am also about to buy some horses. See Paso Fino's?.
Here's the question: I need/want to get trailers for both. Can I, better yet, has anyone, ever built a suitable frame for sidewalls and roof for a utility trailer that would also carry horses? The (utility) trailers I'm looking at are the 16' wood floored variety. They all have stake holders on the sides. I can envision the walls clearly enough, have not given a whole lot of thought to the roof though. Perhaps I am being cheap, I can get a suitable horse trailer for $2k, just thought I'd ask.
When I first had a need for both types of trailers I thought I'd find a manufacturer which made such a combo.. no luck. I bought a 20 ft flatbed gooseneck with the idea of saving up for a nice horsetrailer. Now 6 years later I'm still using the method of hauling horses the old timers used and you don't see much of anymore. I built some stock panels for my truck. Two people can take them on/off in 15 minutes. I can haul 2 horses if they are buddies. I don't haul often, I don't go far and not all of my horses are tolerant of the rig, but it has saved me some money. My neighbor has a nice Sooner horse trailer I borrow also and is more than glad to share it with me when needed for occasional use of my flatbed. On your idea, I can't imagine why it wouldn't work if carefully engineered. You might want to partition the trailer off to keep the horse(s) from roaming the entire 16 ft. Prepare to meet up with alot of gawkers.
I'd really like to see you pulling that rig, loaded, with your Porsche... hehe
Got a picture handy?
I suppose that might work for short hauls, but, I know I'll be going to deer camp with it - about 90 miles, one way. Do you think I, or the horses, really, would be OK with a "solid front" like plywood, and slatted sides and rear? Even a slatted roof? Slatted front seems too windy. I think the thing could be pinned together at the corners and anchored at the stake holders on the sides of the trailer.
I would have to say absolutely not. I have seen so many wrecks with homemade trailers. If you can't afford a decent trailer to haul them in you either shouldn't be hauling them or you shouldn't be owning horses. A very good new or used trailer can be had for $2-4k. That's the price of one good horse and won't even come close to touching the vet bills or the liability issue if your horse falls out of it and someone gets hurt.
People don't realize how strong and athletic horses are. Horses can tear up a good trailer if they get scared or mad. Just imagine what they would do with a plywood or pieced together steel one. There are good reasons guys don't haul horses in pickups anymore.
CBD, as usual, no pussy-footing around - I like that! Truthfully, I kinda expected both your and Lazy-J's kind of responses, both accurate yet different, as applied to different situations. With the type of travel and the level of my commitment to the care of my broods, unless someone shows me a whizbang idea, (which in all likelyhood would cost as much if not in $$ but in time) I will get a HORSE trailer too.
90 miles would require a real horse trailer. I should quantify that I only use my jed clampitt rig to haul my horses "safely" over a RR track and across a busy highway on the 4 mile trip to a local military wilderness. They get quite a kick out of it. And, it works good to keep them in practice for loading in case of an emergency.
I realize I'm about a year after the fact, but there is an outfit in Alberta, Canada that builds horse trailers on top of flat decks. The horse trailer body comes with jacks so you just jack it off the ground and pull the trailer out from beneath it. Can't remember their name right now, but if you are still looking, can find out for you. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
I have a 16ft bumper pull flat bed/stock hauler that I bought VERY used. The stock box sits on the trl floor, secured by ratchet straps and lifts off with a come-along attatched to a strong oaktree branch. When I need to use the stock box, I just lift it up and back under it then lower it onto the trl. bed. I don't know if this sort of thing is avail new, but it would be easy to build one if you have a welder.
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